From the private wildernesses of Lapland to one of the few places that allow you to stay on land in Antarctica, it is as exclusive as it gets. These hushed retreats have a carefully selected guest list, whether due to limited availability, seasonality, or their intentionally discreet nature. Yet once you arrive, that sense of unreachable remoteness is transformed into slow experiential luxury.
Think private guided tours, dedicated 4WDs, personal saunas, or even arrival by charter plane—all the luxury trimmings in some of the world's most extraordinary corners where travelling in luxury feels like a privilege.
Octola, Finnish Lapland
"Join the waitlist" is the first thing you'll see on Octola's website, and with good reason. In a world packed with generic hotel listings, why wait for a lodge? Because this one is hidden deep in the snow-covered forests of Finnish Lapland. Octola is a private wilderness retreat just 20 minutes from Rovaniemi Airport. Here, a reindeer herd lives on the premises, and the Northern Lights are part of your itinerary for more than 200 nights a year.
The exact location of the lodge is kept confidential, and guests are asked not to disclose it, thereby maintaining the atmosphere of exclusivity and serenity.
If you enjoy celebrity travel inspiration, Octola's guest list includes Hindi movie actor Anushka Sharma and her husband, cricket legend Virat Kohli. According to the team, 94 per cent of lodge guests are returning visitors.
Octola is a 10-bedroom residence, a two-bedroom super-suite villa, and a signature glass igloo suite, all part of one property. It boasts the Arctic's first and only private spa, complete with a panoramic swimming pool, a handcrafted bar and BBQ pavilion, a traditional wooden sauna, and a private lake for ice swimming and fishing. Adventure seekers will find plenty to dive into: a private ice-drifting track, snowmobile trails, peaceful snowshoeing paths, and hiking routes.
Things are about to level up further. On December 1, 2025, Octola II will open, offering a new ultra-lodge and villa for an even more elevated escape.
Camps by White Desert, Antarctica
Antarctica isn't on the radar for the average traveller. Most who make it there see it from the deck of a cruise ship. It's cold, remote, and wildly unforgiving, and not exactly where one expects to find luxury.
White Desert flips that narrative. This travel company helps organise one of the rarest ways to stay on land in Antarctica and delivers serious style while doing it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those who don't flinch at a USD 70,000 (approximately INR 59,97,750) price tag. With White Desert, you'd be part of a guest list of only 300 each year.
The company operates three minimalist, design-forward camps: Whichaway, Wolf's Fang, and Echo. Everything, from logistics to private air travel, is handled by the company, making the journey seamless. Your heated camp comes with floor-to-ceiling windows, an en suite bathroom, and cosy, layered interiors.
Whichaway, the flagship camp, is set beside a rare, ice-free lake in the Schirmacher Oasis. It has only six rooms and accommodates a maximum of 12 guests per camp, ensuring a completely private experience.
Daily adventures are highly weather-dependent. One day, you might find yourself standing at the South Pole, the next hiking across electric-blue ice or meeting emperor penguins in the wild. Evenings slow down with chef-prepared dinners, cocktails in the glass-fronted lounge, and a sauna overlooking a glacier. White Desert handles the extremes with ease, making Antarctica not just accessible but deeply indulgent.
Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland, Canada
Perched on the remote edge of the North American continent, at what feels like the end of the world, the Fogo Island Inn sits atop a lonely cliff on Fogo Island, just off Newfoundland’s rugged northeastern coast.
An architectural marvel in itself, Fogo Island Inn was established as part of a bold initiative to create alternative livelihoods in a community that had relied on fishing for more than seven centuries. The inn is built using only locally-sourced materials, as a tribute to the island’s heritage, with a design that reimagines traditional outport fishing stages in a striking brutalist style.
Its 29 guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the wild North Atlantic. Suites such as the Sunrise and Sunset are cantilevered over the ocean, offering sweeping views, deep soaking tubs, and the chance to witness drifting icebergs or passing fishing boats in peace. Meals are foraged from the surrounding landscape, celebrating the island’s natural bounty and culinary heritage. Guests arrive by ferry or helicopter, underscoring the inn’s remote charm. More than just a luxury retreat, Fogo Island Inn forms part of a broader cultural and economic bond with the land, the people, and a shared purpose.
Awasi Patagonia, Chile
When English explorer Florence Dixie rode into Patagonia in the late 1800s, she found a land where silence howled, peaks pierced the sky, and wind whispered secrets across endless steppes. That raw magic still pulses through Relais & Chateaux's Awasi Patagonia, a secluded retreat in the wild heart of South America's last frontier.
Set on a private reserve overlooking the iconic Torres del Paine and the shimmering waters of Lake Sarmiento, the 14 timber-wrapped villas here are scattered across the landscape, each placed like a secret between lenga forests and the open sky. From the moment you arrive, your journey is tailored. A private guide and 4WD vehicle are yours to explore—from impromptu wildlife sightings to misty sunrise hikes or horseback rides through golden pampas.
Inside, the villas are soulful cocoons. Think deep-soaking tubs, locally-woven wool throws, and panoramic windows that frame nature like a gallery. The silence is profound—the kind that hums in your bones. Dining is hyper-local, inventive, and intimate. Fire-roasted lamb, Patagonian herbs, and personalised menus are crafted daily by the chef.
Soneva Secret, Maldives
Thirty years ago, Soneva redefined the idea of luxury, not as excess but as rarity, seclusion, and connection. The vision was to create a sanctuary so untouched and extraordinary that it would feel like discovering a paradise no one else knew existed. That dream takes its purest form at Soneva Secret, which is hidden in the remote Haa Dhaalu Atoll, the most unspoilt frontier of the Maldives.
With just 14 villas, including Crusoe-style hideaways accessible only by boat, Soneva Secret is founded on privacy and personal discovery. A dedicated trio looks after each villa—a Barefoot Guardian, Barefoot Assistant, and a private chef—who intuitively shape each moment around your pace.
Your day might begin with sunrise meditation on a floating deck, surrounded by calm sea air. You may snorkel with manta rays and whale sharks, guided by instinct rather than an itinerary. As night falls, you gather by a firelit table on the sand, where your astronomer shares the night sky in an immersive journey through the stars.
